The Other Woman
by msgrits
Summary: Sara goes to visit lady Heather then....Chapters 9-10 are up
1. Default Chapter

Sara sat across from the other woman and absently rubbed the rim of her glass. It was true that she and Catherine had a rocky start but over time they had become friends. , in fact Good good friends.

Sara understood that older women had been through a great deal in her life.

"So you are asking me what I would do?" Catherine said pointing her gaze at Sara.

"Hypothetically speaking."

"For the man I love, I would fight to the death."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara sat outside of the house, it was large and ominous in the dark. In the fifteen minutes that she had been sitting in her car, she had seen several men and women come and go. At one point she even heard screams come through the door when it was opened.

The main house was not her concern though, as Sara headed to the cottage that rested on a small plot of land behind the dark mansion.

She could not believe that she was doing this but she had made a decision and she was committed to following through. She was not going to go one more day or hour letting her destiny rest in the hands of others.

She got out of her car and strolled up through the cobbled walk and towards the cottage.

She knocked on the door.

When the door opened, a very pretty brunette dressed in black slacks and soft black sweater greeted her. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders and a generous mouth curved up in warm greeting.

"Yes?"

Sara was surprised to find out how husky her voice sounded, "Hi. You don't know me but I work at the Las Vegas Crime Lab and....."

The other women interrupted her, "Sara?"

"How did you know who I am?"

"Gilbert talks about his work and his friends all the time. Come in please."

She called him Gilbert? Sara exhaled sharply.

Sara followed other women to a small sunroom that was filled with the morning light. On the white table sat a teapot, a cup and a saucer. Lady Heather motioned for her to take a seat.

Sara sat.

Lady Heather brought out another cup and saucer and poured Sara a cup unasked. Sara found herself pleased to be sipping the warm liquid on the chilly morning.

Lady Heather took her seat across from Sara.

"I am so glad to finally meet you. You are just as stunning as Gilbert described. I see what he means. , On some people that jaw line would be overpowering but on you it's just absolutely perfect and that hair. Oh my. Just lovely. Mine is bone straight. I would just kill for hair like that."

Sara twisted a lock of her curly hair around her forefinger. This was not what she had expected. This Heather woman was complementing her and being nice. What did she do or say now?

"So what brings you to my little place in this world?" Lady Heather smiled as she took a sip of tea.

"I wanted to talk to you about...about Grissom."

"Well of course. Why else would you be here?"

"I don't know where to start." Sara looked down at her long fingers bare of polish. Lady Heather elegant hands were painted a deep red and contrasted with the stark white tea cupteacup that she was holding.

"I would like to know what exactly is going on with you and Grissom," Sara said.

"Well Gilbert and I are very close but you know that." Lady Heather continued to smile at Sara.

"Well yes but what I need to know is...What, what I need to know is if you are seeing him... umm intimately."

"You mean do we have a sexual relationship."

"Yes and no. I need to know the exact nature of your relationship. That is to say, I need to know if you are dating. If it's serious..." " Sara faltered and heat flooded her face.

"Why don't you ask Gilbert? Lady Heather leaned closer to the other woman."

Sara had wrestled with the same question for days now. She could give a concrete answer.

Sara shrugged, "I want to hear it from you."

"Mmmmm. Yes. , I see."

"I'm glad someone does," Sara" Sara muttered.

"Have you eaten?" Lady Heather asked.

Sara was disconcerted by the change of subject, "No. I skipped breakfast and came straight here."

Lady Heather stood, "Well we can't have that. Gilbert tells me that you are not a woman to miss meals. I can't stand women who barely eat. They make me nervous. There is something deceptive about them. I was justwas just preparing something for myself. It won't be too much trouble to prepare for something for you as well."

She returned in a few minutes with bowl of fruit, cereal and selection of bagels on a wooden tray painted stark white.

"Gilbert tells me that you don't eat meat. I hardly eat it myself anymore. There is something barbaric about it."

After Lady Heather had prepared both their plates, she settled back in her chair.

"Now Gilbert"

"Yes Grissom"

"Gilbert is a perfectly lovely man but you know he can be a bit difficult when it comes to his private life."

"Of which I gather you are part of."

"Well yes. I believe that I am," Lady Heather speared a strawberry and chewed delicately. "I gather the rumor mill has is abuzz about Gilbert and myself?"

"Yes. For sometime now."

"And so what does the rumor mill say about you and Gilbert?"

"Me? Nothing I don't think."

"Oh my you can't believe that. The people you work do investigate for a living and if they work with you and Gilbert they must be very sharp."

Lady Heather poured more tea for Sara; "The problem is that I don't know what to tell you about Gilbert. I mean I don't know what there is to say that you don't already know on some level."

Sara stomach began to turn in knots. What was this woman telling her?

As Lady Heather watched the distress on her face, she made a decision.

"Gilbert will be very upset with me for telling you this but he will get over it. Then again maybe he won't. I do think he owes me at least one forgiveness in this friendship."

Sara frowned at the other women.

"Gilbert and I are very good friends. We talk daily. We have dinner. Watch old movies. We go the opera. He even took me dancing once," Lady Heather smiled at the memory.

At that recollection, Sara shoulders slumped slightly.

Lady Heather continued, "He is an absolutely lovely man. He reminds me very much of my late husband. All that passionate surface energy that he tries to keep bottled up with his books and his bugs. My late husband was a botanist. People looked at us and thought it odd. That was even before I started my business. He seemed awkward. I saw through all of that. He died in a car crash."

Sara saw the deep sadness in the dominatrix 's eyes, "I am so sorry."

"Sshhh" she" she held her hand up, "We had a perfectly wonderful life together. He never tried to change me and I never tried to change him. Although when he met me, he ran for the hills. He thought I was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Jonathan was a bit older than I was like Gilbert is with you."

Lady Heather threw her head back with laughter as she remembered the late husband.

Sara's face showed confusion.

"I am not going to pull any punches Sara because I know that you did not come hear here for that. In the beginning, I did hope that Gilbert and I would be something more and for a few evening we were. However, it became abundantly clear that this heart, among other things, was somewhere else."

Lady Heather put her hand over the other woman's "For the past few months many of our conversations have revolved around you and what Gilbert's intentions are."

Sara was confused, "Intentions?"

"Well yes. You know, despite the fact that one of his best friends is a dominatrix and another one is an ex-stripper; Gilbert really is very conventional about sex and dating. He is also very concerned about the age difference and the fact that you both work together. He is also very concerned that he will loose control. He is afraid of the effect that you will have on him. He is worried that his love...his passion for you will consume him and that it will destroy you both."

The words slowly began to seep through her mind. She barely noticed Lady Heather leave the table to answer the door and she almost passed out when she saw Grissom standing before her.

"Sara?" he frowned as he observed the breakfast and tea cupsteacups.

Sara watched his fists clench at his side.

"Grissom...I," she" she didn't know what to say.

He immediately wheeled around and spat, "What the hell did you tell her!! Did you invite her hear? What are you doing Heather? What exactly are you playing at?"

Sara opened her mouth to protest but she was transfixed by white hot anger that seemed to glow around him.

Lady Heather sat down and said plainly, "Gilbert I did not invite her hear here but she is most certainly welcome and I told her the truth."

"Which is?" he grunted through clenched teeth.

"Gilbert. Sara is not a child. You always seem to forget that. She came hear here on of her own accord. Now are you going to stand in the middle of the floor bellowing kitchen or would you like to have some breakfast?."

Gil turned to Sara. He peered down at Sara. His expression was a mask of confusion and fury. "Is this true? Did you come hear here on your own?."

"Grissom. I..." Sara could not seem to find the words. "I did it because I wanted to know. I just needed know."

He glared at Sara. She had really messed things up this time. He was never going to forgive her for this. She found herself staring at the teacup. She was surprised to see that it was covered in various species of insects.

With a firm but gentle hand, he pulled Sara from the chair, "We are leaving."

Sara was too stunned to argue. He guided her from the small house to his Tahoe. He helped her into the passengers seat, slammed the door and got in on the drivers side.

Lady Heather smiled after the couple and said to herself, "Those two just might be alright after all."

She congratulated herself for having the forethought to page Grissom when she saw the other woman coming down the walk.

****


	2. 2

**Chapter 2**

He turned the key and pulled away from the curb.

"I have my own car," Sara said tentatively.

"We'll come back for it if I have not killed you by then."

In what seemed like mere seconds, Grissom was maneuvering his Tahoe in the driveway of his townhouse.

"Why are we here?" Sara said refusing to move from her seat. She stared straight ahead and her arms were cross protectively over her chest.

Grissom did not say a word. He got out and opened Sara's door. Sara started to protest but as she looked into Grissom's eyes she thought better of it.

When they reached Grissom's living room, he began to pace like a caged animal. He shoved his hands in his pockets. Sara sat on the edge of the seat.

"Sara...I don't even know what to say to you," he said his breath coming in sporadic rasps.

"What the hell were you thinking? Why did you go to Heather's?"

Sara looked at her unmanicured hands again. She took a page from Lady Heather's book. She told the truth. "I needed to know if you were seeing her and I was afraid that you wouldn't tell me if I had asked. I just needed to know. I wanted to know if she was the reason you don't want to be...if she is the reason that you don't want me!"

Grissom stopped cold. He walked slowly to where Sara sat.

Sara peered up into his eyes. She had started to cry softly.

"Oh God. Oh God. I can't believe I am doing this. I am so sorry Grissom. I just thought that if I figured some things out then I could move on."

He knelt beside her.

"Sara," he stopped and started again. "I have been trying to navigate this situation without hurting you." _And myself. Maybe only myself_

"I know that you think that you want to be with... I know you think that we could have shot but I think that I might know better... Sshhhh....let me finish."

"I am old, bad tempered and very hard to get along with. I am set in my ways. I require a lot from people and because of that I have few friendships. The only people I am able to form any bonds with are as difficult and complex as I am. which is why I have some measure of comfort with you and the rest of the night shift. You are young, vibrant and beautiful. Sweetie sometimes I look across the lab at you and I stop breathing. I can't move and I know if that is how I act at work where I am comfortable...I wonder how would I act if we were in an actual relationship. I know myself. I do this casual dating thing well. I'd want you here with me. I'd want all your time. I would not be able to let you out of my sight. I could not work. If you went out to a scene with Nicky or Warrick, I would be beside myself with jealously. Darlin, what you see on the outside is not even a tenth of what I am."

Sara looked into Grissom's eyes. They were burning with intensity.

"And you don't think I know that? You don't think I know who you are?"

Grissom smiled, "Heather kept trying to convince me that you felt something like that."

He sat back on the floor and rested his back on the edge of the subtle leather. It then that he noticed that she wore a skirt and that her legs were bare Sara slid off the edge of couch and sat next to him.

"Why do you have on a skirt?"

"I thought I was going to get called to court after shift. "

"You never wear skirts."

She picked a piece of lint off the back skirt, "It's stupid."

"Tell me," he said softly.

"I thought that maybe, I thought that maybe I wasn't feminine enough for you. I thought that you wanted someone more..."

"You know Catherine is always dressed so...you know and then I saw Lady Heather at the crime lab and I just thought," she looked at him. "I told you it was stupid."

"Sara Sidle. You flatter me. You could wear a burlap sack and still drive me crazy."

Grissom was quiet for few seconds.

Without even knowing it he reached out and touched her bare leg. "Where are your stockings? It's kind of chilly out."

"I am so not good at this stuff. I had a run in my stocking an hour after it I put the skirt on. Catherine says that I am impossible,"

He was stroking soft patterns on her calf. He absentmindedly found his way up to her thigh.

Sara leaned back and closed her eyes. Grissom got on his knees in front of Sara.

"You are so beautiful" .

Sara let a soft moan escape from her lips. He leaned down to kiss her and his lips touched her. Her mouth yielded quickly, his tongue found hers.

All at ounce his hands were everywhere. Inching up the bare flesh under her skirt.

"Sara? You don't have on panties."

"I only had the hose on and then when they ran." A pink stain rose to her cheeks.

"And you were going to court like that? No wonder all the men are so enamoured with you."

"All the men?" She returned his steady gaze.

His hands needed the firm flesh of her backside.

"Sara, I am not going to be able to stop and once we do this, there won't be any getting rid of me."

Her hands found their way under his shirt.

"I know, I know" she blew softly in his ear. Roughly he began to unbutton the delicate pearl buttons that fastened her blouse. It was taking too long. Giving up, he used both of his hands to rip open the front of her blouse. The buttons spilled across the floor.

Swiftly he stood up and pulled her behind him towards his bedroom. When the reached the bedroom, he sat on the bed and positioned Sara standing in front of him.

"Sara. You need to figure out how to get out of these clothes as quickly as possible or I am going to tear them all off."

"Gil. I..." she stopped

"Say it again."

"What?"

"Say my name. Say Gil."

"Gil. I have not been with a lot of people. I..."

"Sara," he said as he unzipped the back of her skirt. He watched as the soft material fell around her long elegant feet.

"Take of your bra."

Her fingers were trembling but she managed to undo the clasp as Grissom's wandered along the curve of her west.

He stood and pulled her closer to him. His hand found the opening between her legs.

"You are so wet." He pressed two fingers into her. Sara's mouth opened in a silent gasp.

"Open your eyes."

Sara opened them. She was surprised to see that he wore only his boxers.

"You are the most beautiful woman."

Sara moaned louder.

"I can't believe that I finally touching like this. It feels like I am dreaming."

Just then her cell rang.


	3. 3

Much love to Kelly the Fabuu Beta Girl As usual, I don't own CSI. 

**Chapter 3**

Grissom groaned.

"I have to answer it," she panted. "It might be court."

'Call them back," he protested increasing the rate of his movements inside of her. The phone , which had been clipped to her skirt, now lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. She reached out to answer it.

"Sidle," she paused, Oh hi Brass."

She listened for several seconds.

Grissom whispered in her free ear, "Tell him I said that you have to go. God you feel good."

His beard grazed the side of her ear. His momentum increased. Sara tried to stop his hand but he was too strong for her. She felt herself loosing control as fingers thrust harder. As she found her release, Sara muffled her screams by biting into Grissom's broad shoulder and collapsing against him.

He took the phone from her hand, ended the call and threw it across the room.

Sara collapsed against him inhaling his scent.

Grissom's cell phone began to ring. He pulled his hand away from her gently. He kept her close to her relishing the trembling of her against him.

"Grissom" he barked. He steadied Sara with his free hand.

The rest of the conversation was a series "yes", "no" and "okay".

He closed the phone. Sara gazed at him through half closed lids. "We got called in?"

"High profile family. It might be a routine case but they want the whole night shift to come in just in case."

"Damn." She muttered as she sat up.

"What?"

"I can't believe you," Sara shook head. "You ripped my blouse. Catherine helped me pick it out. What the hell am I supposed to wear?

"You can borrow one of my shirts."

"And wear it with what? That damn skirt? This is what I get for trying to be a girly girl."

Grissom pulled his pants on and began to button his shirt.

"How bout this...How about we drive to your house for a quick change then to the crime scene."

"How are you going to explain why we are riding in the same car?"

"I'll figure something out because we don't have time to go back to Heather's"

Grissom drove Sara to her apartment to change clothes. When they arrived at the crime scene Brass met them at Grissom's Tahoe.

He leaned into the driver's side window. "Aw guys. I'm so sorry. David says it's definite suicide. I tried to call you both back but Sara's phone went straight to voice mail after we got disconnected and yours just rang."

Grissom reached for his phone and realized that he had accidentally put the phone on silent. Grissom glared at the veteran cop.

"Catherine and Warrick are on their way to the lab and she told me to tell you that she just needs at least one other set of eyes confirm the suicide. She said either you or Sara would do."

Brass put up his hands in protest, "Hey man. I'm sorry. Did I catch you on another date? When did you get a social life?"

Grissom continued to glare realizing that Brass used the word "another" in front of Sara.

"As a mater of fact, I was on date. It was a very important date and you quite possibly ruined it. See you next shift Brass" Grissom pushed the button to role up the window and pulled away from in a wave of dust.

Brass looked after his old friend and wondered how he managed to pick up Sara so fast.

Grissom pulled the car in the parking lot at the Crime Lab. He switched off the ignition and looked at Sara. He lips were slightly swollen and he could see the places where his beard had scratched.

"You want to stay hear while I go sign off on this thing?"

"I don't know. Won't that look suspicious?" She stroked his knew lightly.

"I think if you go in there and Catherine gets one look at the two of us together. She will know."

Sara began to bite her thumbnail, "You are right."

"Besides...."

"Besides what?"

"You smell like sex."

"And you don't?"

"I'm not saying that I don't but we can't both go in there.", he grinned at her. The lines around his eyes turned crinkled a bit.

"Did you even wash your hands?"

Grissom put two fingers up to his nostrils and inhaled.

"No and I don't intend to."

"Grissom!" Sara squealed and he opened the door and disappeared into the building.

Grissom met Catherine in his office, looked over the evidence and signed the various documents.

"So Brass said that you were on a date."

Grissom was standing at the door ready to turn the knob. "Brass talks too much."

"This is like your second date in what a week."

"Heather and I don't date. I told you we are just friends."

Catherine tilted her head and looked at Grissom's shoulder. "He also said that Sara was with you. Are you bleeding?"

Grissom peered down at his shoulder. He was bleeding through his light colored shirt. "I must have scratched it on something" he said as he went turned to open the door.

"What do you take me for a fool? You and that Heather woman are playing some of those freaky games that she makes her living off of."

"Just because someone is sex worker that does not mean that they can't have platonic friendships. You should know that Cath."

"I can't believe that you picked Sara up after being with that woman," Catherine's voice went up an octave as her eyes began to flash. She grabbed his hand. "I can even smell her on you. Did you even wash your hands?"

Grissom opened the door. Catherine followed close on his heels. She spoke through clenched teeth as they entered the hallway.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you just trying to drive Sara over the bend? My God. Do you know that she went out and bought new clothes for you? I swear Gil if she quits because of your callousness there are going to more people than me to answer too."

Catherine stopped short when she realized that they were almost to the Tahoe. She waved to Sara.

Gil turned his back to the car. "We are not going to have this conversation. Okay. We are just not."

Catherine smiled stiffly. "We will be having this conversation. Maybe not today but we will."

Catherine turned and went into the building.

When Grissom climbed into the truck, Sara squinted at him.

"Was Catherine reading you the riot act?"

"Yes. Jim told her that I was a date and she jumped to all the wrong conclusions and she also said that she smelled you on me. You know that woman has been my friend for more than a decade and you come along and suddenly I'm the bad guy"

Grissom cleared his throat as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Um Catherine is not exactly a fan and Heather's so she has been giving me a lot of grief lately."

Sara dropped her head at the mention of the other woman's name. Grissom felt like a fool. What was he thinking?

They were silent the rest of the way home. They pulled into his driveway.

"I am very sorry. I should not have mentioned her name. I just don't know how to do all of this.

He ran a finger along her jaw line. "You are going to have to be patient with me".

Sara kissed his hand and touched it to his face. "I can be patient. I waited for four years, didn't I?"

"That you did Sara Sidle, that you did."


	4. 4

**Chapter 4**

**Grissom and Sara decided that they needed to take things slowly. They started dating**.

Grissom stood in his closet looking at shirts. He decided that his clothes were boring, Hell, who was he kidding? He was boring. This was only their second date. He still had no idea what she saw in him and often woke up paralyzed with fear that she would change her mind.

Sara had learned that he was passable dancer and she had insisted that he take her dancing. He was going to kill Heather. Dancing with Heather was one thing but dancing with Sara...dancing with Sara was something completely different. He was terrified of making a fool of himself.

Maybe he should run to the mall. He looked at his watch. There was not time for that. He decided on a shirt.

He looked in the mirror. He had asked Greg about grooming his hair and Greg had advised him to just leave it alone. According to Greg, "the chicks love curls." Greg then told Grissom about a disastrous incident involving Greg, a home permanent and a broken timer when Greg was sixteen.

He'd also asked Warrick about his clothes and his beard. Warrick looked him over, "your clothes suit you man. They are good quality and you look good in them. Why you wanna change your clothes? And your beard looks good too! If you shave your beard their will be some very disappointed ladies in CSI and the PD" He'd given Warrick some non commental answer about turning fifty soon. "Yeah right."

Finally he's asked Nick about working out. "I thought you swam and you already eat pretty good. You always get all the healthy stuff when we go to breakfast."

"I was thinking that I might want to change my routine. I'm not getting any younger."

"I can show you a weight routine if you want but you know she probably likes you just the way you are."

Grissom dropped his head in embarrassment as he walked away. Nick smiled after him glad to see his boss was enjoying life more.

The doorbell rang, Grissom took one last look in the mirror and deep breath and went to greet Sara

"I can't believe that you are serious."

"Come on, just one, please."

"We are not going to practice before we leave."

"I'm rusty."

Sara sighed and walked over to him. "Okay. One practice dance."

Grissom took Sara's delicate hand into his strong one and rested her cheek against his. The first notes of a soft ballad began. They danced for a several seconds in silence enjoying the feel of one another. Grissom inhaled her scent. Was that roses? He didn't even know women wore single note fragrances anymore.

He liked that about Sara. She was simple. No, not simple. She was classic. Women like Sara were timeless. No matter where she landed in time Sara would always be considered elegant and beautiful.

Sara found herself humming softly in his ear. Her lips found their way to the top of his neck and she began to kiss him there lightly. A warm breath escaped from his lips disturbing her hair.

The hand around her waist tightened pressing her body closer to his. He moved his hand up to stroke her back through the light material of her blouse. His lips trailed down the side of her mouth and until his lips were on hers. The kiss was deeper and harder than Grissom would have liked. Sara heads fell backwards and he placed one hand on the side of her face. His other hand stroked her curve of her hips.

"You don't have any panties on again."

"Uh Huh"

Her tongue flicked his ear. Grissom's knees almost buckled.

"Sara what are you trying to do to me."

She stepped away from him almost throwing him off balance. The flimsy material of her short dress swayed around her hips. "I was going to save this for later but..."

She pulled the dress over her head. Underneath she was completely bare. She fixed him with her brown eyes.

Grissom did not move. "Turn around. Slowly. Very slowly."

She turned. His hear hammered in the chest. Sara's skin was creamy and dotted with freckles. As she turned, she continued to watch him over one shoulder. His lips parted slightly as she ran a tongue along about her lower lip.

He's seen her naked once before but this time Grissom was able to appreciate the full impact of her beauty.

She walked to where he was and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Are you sure?"

She undid his pants and guided her hand to his erection. He moaned. She was surprised by the size of him.

He turned around and pressed her back against her wall. He pressed his throbbing member against her soft thatch of hair.

"Sara!" In an instant, he was inside of her moving upward into her. She wrapped her legs around him and he planted both of his hand on either side of her head and pressed them flat against the wall.

Slowly he began to thrust up, he buried his beard into her hair.

Sara gasped and curled her hands into his thick hair.

"Oh Gil. Oh God." Sara felt every exquisite movement of his body into hers. Suddenly he stopped moving. His breath came out is hot rasps. Sara opened her brown eyes and stared into the black depths of his pupils.

"Don't move Sara. Don't move, just feel me inside of you."

He shifted slightly. "Does it feel like you thought it would?."

"Better." She breathed into his ear. "I used to daydream about you inside of me when we were in Boston. I used to think about going into your office and...."

Grissom moved into her again. "What did you daydream?"

He pressed her almost flat against the wall. He moved faster.

"Oh God...I daydreamed that you would just take me right there in your office. That you would...Oh Gil."

She circled her arms around his neck tightly "That you would make me yours."

"Are you mine?" came Grissom's throaty reply.

"Yes" Sara whimpered knowing that she was close to her end. As she began to loose control she felt the essence of him begin to spill inside of her.

He was surprised to hear them both call out in unison.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later as they lay in his large bed he stroked the curve of her hip as she looked up at the skylight that opened onto the clear dark sky.

"I'm sorry."

"About what?" she said lazily.

"That I didn't use anything, that our first time was up against a wall. You just make me so crazy that I cannot even think. I loose all reason."

"We should have used something. We are both at fault. But never ever be sorry about when and how we make love. Never. Okay?"

He didn't respond as his tongue flicked across her nipple.


	5. 5

**Chapter 5**

Grissom and Sara had been together for nearly three months and it was taking a toll on them both.

Sara stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had lost weight. There were dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't had a real conversation with her parents or brother in weeks. Catherine, Warrick and Nick noticed the change and tried to unsuccessfully draw her out of her shell. Under their scrutiny, she retreated even further.

_Please leave a message after the tone._

"_Sara what is going on with you girl? Call me back girl. I mean it this time."_

_Please leave a message after the tone._

"_Hey it's me. Lindsey wants to know where you've been. She wants her "cool" aunt to take her to Circus. Circus. Call me okay. Okay?"_

_Please leave a message after the tone. _

"_Sara. My sister is in town. She wants to meet the great Sara. If I don't hear from you by 5:00 I'll call you back. Where you been hiding? We all miss you"_

As their relationship had festered, so had Grissom's possessiveness and jealously. He listened to Sara's voicemails and checked her e-mail. He wanted every second of her time accounted for. He objected to almost every piece of clothing that she owned. Eventually he insisted that she move into his townhouse.

"_This not up for discussion Sara. You are moving in with me. It does not make any sense for you to keep the apartment when you are hear all the time anyway. _

"_Gil, don't you think we are moving too fast."_

"_Don't you love me?"_

"_More than anything. More than anything."_

"_I'll call the movers."_

He wouldn't let her spend any of her money insisting that it was his responsibility to "take care of her." He said that he wanted be a better man than his father. He wanted to make sure that she understood that financial security would never be an issue for her.

At fist, all the attention was flattering. Except for her parents, Sara had always been responsible for the people in her life. In her peer group, she was the lead dog, the Alpha female. Grissom saw all her vulnerabilities and he took the weight of he world away from her. It had been a relief.

The most recent fights scared Sara and had no idea what to do under the weight of it all, she had even begun to smoke again.

Then there was the sex. Once he let his guard down, all of the passion that he had carefully contained began to seep into every pore of his being. He was never sated or satisfied. He wanted her constantly and Sara did not know if it was because his libido was just that strong or if he was marking her for the world to know.

"_Clearly you are seeing someone else.!!!"_

"_What are you talking about? Gil, how can you think that? Baby, how could you think that? Just become I don't respond to your every sexual whim."_

"_Then why are you tired all of sudden? Why are you sleeping all the time? Who is he?"_

_As Sara crumpled to the floor in tears, Grissom had left their home in a silent dark rage._

"How did I end up here?" she asked the woman staring back at her from the mirror. "How did we end up here? Oh Gil, we have got to get some help or it's going to destroy us both."

Another wave of nausea attacked her stomach and she leaned over the toilet.


	6. 6

Chapter 6

Catherine, and Nick were sitting in Warrick's spacious living room.

"So what should we do?" Nick took a sip of the whiskey that Warrick had shipped from Germany.

"An intervention." Catherine wondered aimlessly and looked at Warrick's bookshelf.

"She is coming apart at the seams." Warrick rubbed his hands together as if they were cold.

"And you are sure this is about Grissom?" Nick directed his question to Catherine.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure. Plus he is not in the best shape either. I am almost positive that he is smoking again. It's has been almost 12 years since he stopped."

"Grissom smoked?"

"Back then we both smoked and both quittogether when I found out I was pregnant with Lindsey."

"So Cath, what do you think is going on?" Warrick motioned for her to take a seat. "Woman stop all that pacing."

"Sorry. I prowl when I'm nervous. Lindsey calls it my panther walk. I think that something happened with Lady Heather?"

"Lady Heather?" Nick was stunned.

"Is all that stuff about her and Grissom true?"

Catherine shrugged. "I could never get a straight answer out of him but I do know they are close and a few months back Sara asked me how I would handle a hypothetical that was clearly about Grissom and Lady Heather and I could have sworn that he showed up for an early roll out smelling like sex. "

Nick rubbed his temple. "Okay that was TMI. I am all for an intervention but I just want to make sure we know what we are intervening about."

"So how do we figure it out?" Warrick looked at his two friends seriously.

"Well gentlemen, the evidence never lies."

"What do we know?" Warrick questioned.

Nick began to tick out a list on his hand. "Well let's see. We don't see them anymore. They don't talk to us anymore. They don't return our phone calls if it's personal."

"I thought it was just me." Catherine spoke as her hand came to rest on Warricks thigh.

Nick rested his glass on the table. "Well she basically told me and Warrick not to call her unless it was about work."

"What? She told you guys not to call her anymore? Okay that's hinky."

"Yep. Said that she had decided that off hours friendships were unprofessional for co-workers of the opposite sex."

"What the hell. I mean she loves you guys. I know she does."

Warrick stared intently at Catherine. "Maybe the whole Grissom thing just soured her on any kind of personal relationship. You know getting played for a weird ass dominatrix could send anybody over the deep end."

Catherine chewed at her bottom lip. "Maybe, maybe. That just does not sound like Sara, you know. I mean she and Grissom have been going round and round for nearly ten years."

"What would make her loose it like this? Grissom being distant or weird? That's normal. She can deal with that and the last time he stopped talking to me was when I got married."

Nick grinned, "Was he jealous?"

"Nah. He was smart, smarter than me. He knew Eddie was a creep. They never liked each other. Eddie always thought Grissom had a thing for me. Grissom broke his nose once when Eddie came to the lab to raise hell. "

"Grissom?"

"Quiet as it's kept. He has a terrible temper. He works hard to keep it under control. Apparently he boxed in college."

Warrick leaned forward, "How bad do you think Grissom's temper is?"

"Awful"

"And what makes him loose control?"

Catherine's green eyes met Warrick's gold ones. "Someone threatening the people he cares about. We've seen it in the office. As bad as we have all screwed up, he has protected us like a lion."

"Even if the threat is real or imagined?"

"And what if he thought someone was threatening Sara or better yet threatening his relationship with Sara."

Nick and Catherine both exhaled softly in unison. "Ahhhhh"

"Even if it's one of us."

"Damn" Warrick sloshed the ice in his empty glass. "He asked me about clothes."

"He asked me about working out."

"I heard him ask Greg about hair."

"Damn" Warrick said again


	7. 7

Chapter 7

Gil sat on the edge of the bed. He had already taken his shirt off. Heather sat next to him on the bed She held Gil's hand in hers.

"You don't want to do this, as much as I do enjoy your company. You did not come here because you want me."

He had descended on her warm light house like a dark cloud. He'd crushed her stifling embrace and had whispered vulgarities into her hair demanding that they make love. As he'd taken off his shirt, she had leveled him with a gaze saying his name in soft soothing tones.

"What happened?"

He signed heavily and seemed to notice the room for the first time. "I have no idea what I am doing here." He put his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"No. I understand. No offense taken. Oh Gilbert. What have you done?"

"Everything that I was afraid of." His skin seemed to go slack around her mouth as he said the words.

"Where's Sara?" She helped him back into his shirt and guided him to her kitchen.

"I left her crying in the middle of the floor at home. Our home. I left the woman I love crying in the middle of the floor, while I left to go fuck another woman."

She poured him a cup filled half with tea and half with bourbon. He put the cup to his lips and sipped gratefully. His eyes were dark with emotion. He had begun to visibly shake.

"I can't stand to have her out of my sight. I scream. I yell. I keep her from leaving the house. I don't let her see her friends. I don't let her see our friends. I don't see our friends. I have become my father. I have become everything that I hated about him. I see the ways she looks at me and I see the fear in my mother's eyes reflected back at me and I can't stop myself."

Heather nodded knowingly. "Sara's will will succumb to your power but it won't last forever. You have to find the combination of both yourselves. You have been living in one extreme or another for so long that you don't know how to be your authentic self."

She poured more bourbon in his cup. He smiled. "I probably should not be drinking this."

"I won't let you drive if you shouldn't be." He hand covered his.

"Gilbert..." He was surprised to hear her confidence falter. "My Jonathan... my Jonathan and I had problems like these. He ummm. He punched a hole in our living room wall once when he thought I was on the phone with an ex-lover. In fact I was. I was trying to explain to him that I couldn't see him anymore."

Tears pooled in her black eyes. "I have never been as scared of anyone as I was at that moment. Gilbert. He almost lost me. I left and intended never to come back. I did come back to get my things. He had another woman in our house. He was about to make love to her. " She threw back her head and laughed. "At that moment I think he was as scared of me as I had been of him."

Grissom joined her in soft laughter. "Sounds like Sara if she caught me here."

"I doubt that your Sara is as forgiving as I am. So go home. Tell her you are sorry and then...you get some help. Tell Ms. Willows what's going on too and you go see someone. Okay?"

She poured him another more bourbon. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'll call Brass," she said as she began to dial.

"Heather. I think I know why my father left."


	8. 8

Chapter 8

Catherine returned home to find a letter taped to the front of her door. It was Sara's handwriting. She walked into her house and put her purse and keys down. Slowly she sat down and her kitchen table while she carefully opened the envelope.

_Dear Catherine,_

_I am writing this letter to you, Warrick and Nick. I have asked for an emergency leave from the lab. At this juncture, I don't know if it has been approved or not, no matter. I have to leave Las Vegas. My life is coming apart at the seams and Vegas is not an emotionally safe place for me right now._

_I will contact you all when things are better. Give my loves to the guys and tell them that I am sorry for acting so strangely over the last few months. Kiss Lindsey for me. _

_Thanks for being a friend._

_Sara_

Catherine stood up grabbed her purse and keys and headed back to the car.

Grissom came home to an empty house. Immediately he knew something was wrong. He went to their bedroom and jerked the closet door open. Her clothes were gone. Irrationally he tore through the house looking for any sign that she was not gone for good. Everything was gone. Her books. Her toiletries. Sara was gone.

His Sara was gone. He sat on the floor of his bedroom as tears wetted his cheeks

Grissom was not sure how long the doorbell had been ringing but it was only the sound of the key in the lock that allowed him to break through the fog. For a moment his hopes rose that it was Sara but he knew better than that. He had taken his migraine medicine and he lay in the darkness of his bedroom with the curtains pulled tight.

The door opened and he smelled Catherine's scent.

"Gil" she said softly and she eased the door open.

"I'm here"

Catherine walked quietly across the dark hard wood floors. A sliver of light from the hall way played across his worn features. His eyes were closed and one hand rested close to his mouth.

"Sara left a letter for me. Gil she's gone. She left Vegas."

"I know. She took all of her things."

Catherine nodded in understanding. "I figured something..."

The bed dipped lightly under Catherine's weight. She took Gils hand.

"What did the letter say?"

"Just said that she was sorry and she had to leave."

"Gil what happened?"

He smiled mockingly as he sat up in the large bed. "Everything that I knew would happen. I lost control of myself Catherine. I lost complete control. She showed me this wonderful beautiful life and I couldn't handle it. I became what I was most afraid of."

Gil looked sadly at his friend. Sadness tugged at the corners of his mouth and salt from his tears forms a thin white sheet across his cheeks.

"How long?"

"Three months."

"You want to talk about it?"

"I have to find her Catherine."

"She won't come back to you like this Gil. You have got to get hold to yourself."

He nodded in understanding as Catherine reached for his phonebook.


	9. 9

Chapter 9

Sara sat at the same table she had as a kid in her parent's kitchen and perused the newspaper as she sipped a cup of tea. It was nearly 10 and Sara was well rested after aher flight.

He mother eyed her.

"How far along are you?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know. About 3 months."

"Your Mr. Grissom?" Sara had long given up trying to keep much of anything from her mother.

"Are you going to tell him?"

Sara shrugged and stared back at the reflection of herself thirty years away. Her mother's had her silver streaked hair pulled in to a loose ponytail. Her gardening gloves were resting on the counter where she had just laid them. She was resting her slim body against the frame of the screen door feeling the breeze of the cool morning.

"Sara?"

"I don't know. I'm scared. Things with Gil did not turn out like they expected. It's gotten pretty bad now."

He mother's silence resonated through the room. Sara could hear the shrill call of the seagulls as they searched for breakfast.

"I lost myself Mom. I just lost all of who I was. I began to forget why I loved Gil for so many years. It was like living under a black cloud only I like being rained on. From the moment we got together, it was everything awful and everything wonderful. He began to scare me Mom. "

Sara passed the next month and a half quietly. Her mother's healthy home cooking served to replenish the weight that she had lost plus a little more. She and her father went for long walks on the beach. She and her mother became fixtures at the local organic market. Her belly was only slightly rounded and Sara would stand in front of the mirror willing the baby to become prominent on her frame. Her mother told her not to expect too much because it just wasn't in her the "genes."

She was surprised that she had not heard from Gil. It would have only made sense for him to look for her at her parent's house. She tried not to question it but welcomed the respite.

Grissom sat across from the voluptuous blond for the sixth time in a month. Her pale freckled hands rested comfortably on the armrest of the deep chair. Her name was Anna Henderson. She was a friend of Catherine's from when they had both been strippers. She was now a physiologist that specialized in Family Systems.

"So you think you are ready to contact Sara?"

The man that sat across from her looked calmer and more rested, then the first day she met him. The frightening pain had started to dissipate form his eyes. Gil Grissom was working hard to conquer his demons but Anna was still concerned that is was too soon.

"I don't know. I just miss her terribly."

"You stayed away from Sara for so many years because you believed that a relationship with her would change you. You said that from almost the moment you met you were afraid that your love for her would overtake all reason and it did. Has there been enough time?"

"Probably not."

"At least you recognize that you are still in a dangerous place. That's a huge breakthrough. If we do decide that it is okay for you to try and contact Sara there will have to be some guidelines, some rules that you both have to abide by in order for this to work."

"Like?" Grissom played with the creases in his pants.

"Like you and Sara will need to agree to some intensive couples therapy. Like I am concerned about you two living together again immediately and I want you to continue your solo therapy for at least a year and I might refer you to one my MD colleagues for a mild anti-depressant. Gil you are almost fifty years old. You have suppressed most of the issues since your father left. There is no magic bullet to fix this. It's going to take some time."

"So what do I do?"

She was compelled by the profound sadness in his eyes. Men or women for that matter hardly ever came to her prepared to do the real work that would repair themselves and their relationships. She thought this man was committed.

She smiled to herself. She doubted any man had ever loved her as much as Gil loved his Sara.

"Okay. You can contact her. If you promise to tread very carefully and to follow the rules."

Gil Grissom's blue eyes sparkled and the corners of his mouth turned up that ends.

"Thanks."


	10. 10

Chapter 10

Sara had just hung up the phone with the local Sheriff. He wanted to know how long she was going to be in town. The city council had allocated a pretty hefty budget for a forensics contract. He asked her if she was interested.

She looked out the kitchen window and watched the waves splash around the lighthouse that she used to play in as a child. This would be an amazing place to raise a child. But did she want to do that by herself? She sighed as turned away from the window. She missed Grissom.

She heard a car pull along the gravel road. Her parents weren't expecting anyone as far as she new but this was small town and people often showed up unannounced. She stood at the back door looking to where the car had parked. She didn't recognize it. The blue nondescript sedan looked like a rental.

She blinked in rapid succession as she saw who emerged.

Gil saw her first. He drank in every detail of her. Her hair was now past her shoulders, her pale skin had acquired some color. She looked as though she had gained some much-needed weight.

They kept their eyes on one another as Gil walked across the lawn.

He came to where she stood in the doorway. He wanted to take her in his arms but he didn't want to frighten her.

They stood in silence for a time.

"Sara?" It was a question, would she talk to him?

She stepped away from the door. He followed her into the large white washed kitchen.

She leaned against the counter and folded her arms over he belly protectively. She searched his face for something. She didn't, no she couldn't name what she looked for.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"I already have." He saw a glimpse of the gap between her two front teeth.

"I want to try and explain things to you. If you will let me."

She nodded slowly. He took a step towards her. His hand went around her waist. "Oh sweetie." He buried his face in her hair. She smelled of fresh morning and sea air. He rained kisses all over her sun kissed face.

"Wanna go for a walk? So we can talk."

He put a jacket around her shoulders to stave off the morning chill. He held her hand as they walked along the shore. He told her about his father, all things he was afraid of, the counseling, even his encounter with Heather. Finally he asked her about them.

"Honey, why did you let things get so far out of hand? Why did you put up with it so long?"

She did could not look him. She'd turn these things over and over again in her mind.

"Do you remember the first day we met? Not in class. The day we really met."

"O'Dell's...you were drinking that awful imported beer that you favored." He rolled his azure eyes and shook his head.

"I fancied myself very cosmopolitan."

"And you convinced me to drink it. God that stuff was awful. But I drank it for four solid weeks. For you."

"And went to see the eclipse and you walked in front of me. Not much. Just a little. I held your arm. And for the first time since I was a kid, I didn't have to navigate by myself. I didn't have to figure how where were going or how to get there. It was like that for four weeks. You talked to all the waiters. You ordered all the wine. You made all the plans. I felt so free and safe and taken care of. Up until that point, I hadn't realized how tired I was how much of my energy was spent being in charge."

He remembered looking down and realizing that her strong hand was resting on his bicep. He'd felt proud, exhilarated all at once.

"So when we started seeing one another. It just felt familiar and safe. Because I trusted you and believed in you so much I figured that whatever you said must be for the best. I had made so many mistakes over the last few years...the drinking...that silly thing with Hank. I had just lost control of my life and I guess it seemed better to just let you take control."

They were quiet for a long time. Eventually she looped her arm though his and rested her face against him.

Eventually she looped her arm though his and rested her face against him. As she stifled a yawn, he steered her back to her parent's house.

"You still not feeling well?" he asked as he followed her back to her room.

"Actually I'm feeling great considering."

"Considering?" She pulled an ancient quilt around. He sat next to her on the bed.

He saw a hint of worry in her dark eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Gil I...I should have told you this before now."

One of his hands came to rest on hers. He smiled. "Based on all the things I just dumped you with, I am sure that you get a pass."

She sighed heavily. "Notice anything different??

He shrugged. "Your hair is longer. You gained a little weight. If possible, you are more beautiful than ever."

Sara silently cursed her family's skinny genes. She took his hand and put on his stomach. He surprised to find is quite rounded. His face flooded with recognition.

"Sara?"

"Yes."

"A baby?"

"Yes." She grinned enthusiastically

The joy in his features quickly fell away as he considered his own father. Raymond Grissom had been a marginal human being and piss poor excuse for a parent.

"Gil? Are you scared?

He buried his face in his hands. "Terrified."

She ran a hand over his back. "Me too."

"Yeah?"

"We'll do it together."

He leaned to kiss her. "Together."


End file.
